Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in the path of righteousness for his namesay. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me. You are right and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen. Well, I don't know if you realize it or not, but most shepherds, especially those with herds or sides of any size, have sheep dogs. And sheep dogs are indispensable assets to any shepherd. Sheep are led, sheep have to be led. And therefore, the shepherd is always out in front of the sheep, leading and guiding the sheep to green pastures as the psalmist said, leading and guiding the sheep to fresh waters, leading and guiding the sheep through the darkest and dangerous valley. And yet as the shepherd is in the lead out front is his presence, there's also need for his presence in the rear. So the sheep in the back of the flock easily stray away. The sheep at the rear of the flock are easily susceptible to attack and injury. And therefore, the shepherd has sheep dogs. And sheep dogs guard the rear. Sheep dogs are there to protect and encourage the sheep to keep moving on in the direction that the shepherd out front is leading. One shepherd has said to her sheep without a dog is very difficult. sheep dogs make life easier and more efficient. He goes on to say, as a shepherd, I could not do the work I do without my dogs. Not only are they great workers, but also great companions. You know, I read that and I remind that people really say that about cats, but they said about dogs, but they don't say about cats, great workers and great companions. And I have to bring the sheep into yard. The dogs stay at the back of the sheep and push them into the narrow way. Now, beloved, I don't want to make too much of this analogy this morning. But I agree with what Chuck Swindall once said in regards to Psalm 23. And that is that goodness and mercy are God sheep dogs. The blessed promise we have this morning from Psalm 23 is that just as our Lord, the good shepherd is leading and guiding us every day. David reminds us that there are these twin sheep dogs of goodness and mercy. Number present, following, pursuing, protecting, pushing us forward from behind. Beloved verse 6 of Psalm 23 contained what I like to consider one of the most blessed promises in all the Bible. And this promise comes to the sheep who have Christ as their shepherd. Last week, last week, we saw how having the Lord as our shepherd meant that we have our source of praise. This week, because the Lord is our shepherd, we have a most precious promise. Christ the Lord is our shepherd, surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives. That's the promise we have because the Lord is our shepherd because the Lord is our shepherd. We have a promise. That's what the song said, 1983 for those of you who might be familiar with it. Promises, promises, knowing I believe, you made me promises, promises, you knew you never keep. Why? Because we are by nature promise breakers. That's what we do. Unintentional, most unintentional, and this is largely because, beloved, whether you realize it or not, but saying you're going to do something often feels just as good as doing it. And so we make promises, but we are by nature promise breakers. Some intentional, most unintentional, but thankfully God is not like us. But He says He does, and Isaiah, chapter 38 and verse 7, this shall be a sign to you from the Lord. God says that the Lord will do this thing He has promised. That's who He is, He is a promise keeper. This is what Joshua reminded the nation of Israel right before Joshua went the way of all the fathers. Joshua was removed from the scene. Joshua reminded the nation of Israel and Joshua 21 and verse 45, not one of all the Lord good promises to Israel have failed. Everyone was fulfilled. Everyone because God keeps His promise. In fact, I want to suggest to you this morning that the Bible is a promise book. The Bible is a promise book. It is a book of God's promises to His people. And yet it could be said, and I want to suggest this morning, that all the promises of God that we find in the Bible are essentially the working out of one central promise that God makes in the Bible. Someone has said that there are over 8,000 promises in the Bible. Now I will admit that this week I didn't have time to check that number, and if you are so inclined, please do so, and get back with me on the exact one. But however many promises there are and beloved, there are a lot. The main promise that is given over and over again is the promise where God says, I will be with you. That is the central promise upon which all the other promises of God flow. God says, I will be with you. I will be your God, and you will be my people. Beloved, you do understand. If He just keeps that promise, all the other promises will be yours. I will be with you. This is the promise He made to Abraham and Isaac and Genesis, chapter 23, and chapter 26 and of verse 3. This is the promise that He made to Jacob and Genesis 31 and 3. This is the promise that He made to Moses and Exodus 3 and 12. This is the promise He made to Joshua and Joshua 1 and 5. This is the promise that He made to Gideon in 6 and 16. God made this promise over and over again. He made it to the prophets, He made it to the priests, He made it to the kings, Jesus reiterated this promise. Before He ascended up to heaven and massed through 28 and 20, Jesus told His disciples what, low I am with you. This is the promise out of which flow all the other promises, including the promise that we hear this morning in Psalm 23 and 6. Because the Lord is our shepherd, because the Lord our shepherd is with us surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives, because He's with us, because He had promise to be our shepherd. And if that's the case, then surely, surely goodness and mercy shall follow you. In other words, God promises, because He is the shepherd out front, His blessed twin sheep dogs are with us, because the shepherd is leading those sheep dogs are always following. And this is the promise that is inherent in this text that is reflective of all the promises of God. And they're given with the same basic principles that all the promises of God are given. And you can notice the three characteristics of this promise in this sentence this morning. This is a powerful sentence, beloved. It is worthy of our meditation, and there's three characteristics of this promise that are laid out clearly for us in this text. And it is wonderful. Notice the confidence of the promise, right? Notice the confidence with which the promise is given. Notice more importantly, the confidence with which the promise is received. Surely you said, surely, this is a sure word, most certainly, literally no doubt about it. Be assured, be reassured. This is the confidence with which you can hear the promise of God this morning. This is the confidence with which you can receive the word of God this morning. David had all the confidence in the world. He had all the confidence he needed to know that because the Lord was a shepherd, that meant goodness and mercy were following Him. He knew that. And that's why he could say, surely, I am fully persuaded. Someone said that a promise kept is a debt settled. You know, beloved, God doesn't have any outstanding debts. All His promises are guaranteed, surely, surely, surely. God doesn't just give promises. He also gives the assurance of those promises. In other words, He promises, and then He promises to keep it promised. It's a wonderful blessing. That not only do you have God promising, but then you have God promising to keep the promise. That is the confidence with which we receive God's word this morning. And I was young. We used to say, whenever we wanted somebody to really believe us, we would say as little kids, cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye. Child goes up to just the stupid things that kids say. And beloved, listen to me this morning. God doesn't have to cross his heart. God doesn't have to stick anything in his eye. His promises are based on something far more real, something far more substantial, something far more meaningful to us this morning. His promises are based on far biblical, immutable, irrefutable truths. The reason you can be assured that God will keep his promise. Number one is because the promise was made by the Creator God Himself. Who made the promise? Jehovah makes the promise. El Shaddai, the all-sufficient, self-existent, eternal Creator God made the promise. This is not a God made with human hands. This is not a God in the grand pantheon of God. This is not some family member promising to help you move or somebody promising to help you do your homework. This is the God. At the Bible says in Romans chapter 4 and verse 17 gives life to the dead and cause into existence those things that did not exist. He who caused for those things that did not as though they were has made you a promise. That's why He says, surely, without a doubt. Because of the one who made the promise is the Creator God. And the second thing is because that Creator God cannot lie. Why do people lie? Why do you lie? Most lies are told because we are afraid of people knowing the truth. Most lies are told because we want to impress somebody or we don't want to disappoint another. I'm going to love it. I got news for you. God is not making up things to impress us. God is not afraid of disappointing anyone. God says what He means. And He means what He says. And in Numbers 23 and 19 that's why the Bible is clear. God is not human that He should lie, not a human being that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill? The one who promised is Creator God. That Creator God cannot lie. And thirdly, all of His promises are backed by His power. They are backed by His power. Many promises are broken. You know why? Because we overextend ourselves. And we promise in a moment that later on we are not able to deliver. The Holy God who promises is the Jehovah God who is able to speak in a Abraham and Romans chapter 4, in verse 20, 21, it says, yet He did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God but was strengthened in His faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised. He hit that. He hit that. He hit what Paul said. He see what Paul said there, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised. Persuaded power promise. I am persuaded that He who promised has the power. He's able. That's why David says, surely, surely, because he has, who has promised, has the power. And you and I can be fully persuaded. He is Creator God. He cannot lie. He has the power. Lastly, He is faithful. He is faithful. In other words, not only does God have the ability, He also has reliability. He is reliable. Beloved promises without performance are easy. We hear Him and make them all the time. My Father once told me that promises are made to be broken. Not God. Not God. Jeremiah chapter 1 and verse 12, the Bible tells us that God watches over His Word to make sure it comes to pass. God watches over His Word to make sure that what He said comes to pass. God watches over His Word so that His people will know that not only does He have ability but He has reliability. You can count on Him and therefore surely, surely, surely goodness and mercy shall follow. This is the assurance. This is the confidence which we receive the promise of God, the Lord Jesus Christ as our shepherd. If the Lord is your shepherd, surely, you can have confidence. You can be fully persuaded that goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of your life. You can bank on it. You can count on it this morning. You can be fully persuaded, surely, surely, surely, surely. That is the confidence of the promise. But notice also the content of the promise and what is the content? Goodness and mercy. Goodness and mercy in here is the substance. The substance of the promise. Here is the main point, God's goodness and mercy are yours. If you belong to God, if you are His sheep, if you are in His pasture, if you belong to His flock, you shall have goodness and mercy. These two, beloved, go hand in hand. They are a tandem, and honestly, we need them both. We want them both. They go together in the promises of God, not goodness only because we are sinners in need of mercy, but not mercy only because we are fragile and broken in need of God's care. Goodness is God providing our daily bread. Mercy is God forgiving our daily sins. Goodness and mercy. These are the twin sheep dogs following the flock wherever it goes. You can't separate them from the sheep nor can you separate them from each other. Goodness and mercy. And they're yours, they're yours. This is the promise of God to His people, the goodness of God. The goodness of God, beloved, is essentially the presence of God. There is no goodness without God. He is the standard of goodness. And so when we say that God is good, what we really mean is that God is just being God. Somebody will ask you, next time, how's it going in your life, you don't have to say God is good. You can just say that God is just being God because God is good, so the Bible tells us over and over again. This is what Jesus reiterated again in Luke 18 and 19. That there is no one good but God because God is good. And when we say that God is good all the time, beloved, and all the time God is good, naturally we don't mean that things are always good, that life is always good. What we mean is that God is, God is always good, always, always good. Those dances change, our lives change. Some days are better than others, relationships, sour, and health, faith, and finances, fluctuate and strength, weight. And yet through it all, God is still good. Why? Because God is still God. God is the one variable in that equation that does not change. He is still God. And therefore, He is still good. And because He is still good, no matter what changes He hasn't left you. He hasn't left. He hasn't left. No matter how long the day, no matter how dark the night, God hasn't left. Goodness and mercy haven't stopped pursuing you. You are still His sheep, no matter how dark the valley, you still belong to Him, no matter how long the night, no matter how difficult the road, you still belong to Him. And His promise still stands, goodness and mercy are bringing up the rear that pursuant you through it all. There with you, there with you, there with you, there with you. And if you are sheep, no matter what else happens, Romans 8 and 28 still applies, it still applies. Whatever it is, we know that those who love God, all things work together for good, those who are called according to His purpose. Always, always, and beloved, this is the goodness of God, but it is tied to the mercy of God. How do you know God is good this morning, because God is merciful? His goodness is the mercy He extends and not dealing with us according to our sins. His goodness is the mercy He extends because He has not dealt with us according to our sins. Psalm 103 and verse 10, He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our equities. Beloved, I hope you realize something that there is no you. And there is no me. There is not anything without the mercy of God. He was merciful to Adam and Eve. They wouldn't have lasted another moment beyond their sin that the Lord had not been merciful. He was merciful to Adam and Eve. He was merciful to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He was merciful to Moses and the children of Israel. He was merciful to Nehemiah, Hezekiah and Zachariah. He was merciful to Peter, Paul, and Mary. And He has been merciful to me. He has been merciful to me. Beloved, His mercy has meant everything, everything, beloved. Everything to me, here is the point, and I don't want you to miss this this morning. Goodness and mercy is what you see when you look back. No matter how long the road has been, no matter how difficult the road has been, goodness and mercy is what you see when you look back. And in looking back, you ask yourself, why am I still standing here? Because of His goodness and mercy. I look back and I realize, beloved, that even on those days, when I woke up every morning, planning and plotting to do wrong, planning and plotting the satisfaction of the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, planning and plotting to take advantage of all that I could take advantage of. I now look back on those days and realize that God's hand of mercy was even upon me. That's why I'm standing here, as the writer says in lamentation 3, 22, the steadfast love of the Lord, the mercies of the Lord, they never cease, his mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning, every morning, every morning, every morning, beloved, mercy is what you see when you look back, because mercy is what God is before you realize you need Him to be. You didn't even know it. And He was merciful. You didn't. You weren't even asking. And His mercy and His love were following you to get you here all the days of your life. All the days of your life, you know what I said, all of them, all the days of your life. And that's the continuity of the promise, isn't it? That's the continuity. How long is this promise for? How long will it last? It has been all the days of my life. The only reason that I'm standing here, beloved, is because the Lord's goodness and His mercy pursued me every day, every day, every day. When David got, I am convinced of his beloved, when David got to the end of Psalm 23, he had no doubt begun reflecting upon the end of his life. He reflected on the long life that he had lived with the ups and downs, with the many highs and the lows. And through it all, he could say with confidence as he looked back, goodness and mercy had been with me every day, every day, every day. This is why I appreciate and because of COVID, really miss having older mature saints around. You want to see the maturity of a person, see what they do when trouble comes, witness the rates of their panic, mature saints don't panic. And the reason mature saints don't panic is because they've been in the battle before. They know how the war and the race is won. They've been through the valley of darkness and have come out the other side and they've looked back and they've seen goodness and mercy every step of the way.
And whenever I'm going through something, it's the mature saints who come to me and say, pastor, it's going to be all right, pastor, oh, we're going to make it through that, pastor, fret not and be not dismayed. God is with us. Mature saints realize, like David, that Sam Cook was right, change is going to come. Oh, yes it will. Change happens, change happens a lot. Seasons change, times change, people change, our minds and our politics change. Someone has said that the only certain thing in life is change. Well, I don't think that's totally true, but even more certain than change is the everyday unchanging goodness and mercy of God toward his people. That doesn't change. And David said, Psalm 37, verse 25, I have been young and now am old and yet I have not seen the righteous force they can nor his children begging for bread. David said, I have been young and I am old, I look back and I see that the Lord has been with me every step of the way. The Lord was with him because that's the promise of God. That is the promise of the shepherd to the sheep. I am with you. God was with Abraham every step of the way as he marched up to Mount Moriah. God was with him. God was with Joseph when he was thrown down into the pits when he was taken down into prison. God was with him. God was with David when he had the free, his throne and Jerusalem from the sake of his son, Absalom trying to take over. God was with him. God was with Paul and Salus in the midnight hour in the dungeon. God was with him and God was with Christ. Every step he took up, God was with him and beloved God had been with me. Every day of my life I cannot tell you how much the Lord has pressed upon my heart this week. The Lord has been with me every day of my life and you part in my emotion of this morning. They have not all been easy but the Lord has been with me. However, a day failed to be with me. I can't speak for everybody. I can't speak for everybody this morning but I can say with David, with a confidence and an assurance and a gratitude that there has not been a day in my life that the Lord has not been with me. That one even on those days when I didn't want to be with him. He stayed with me, never leave me, nor forsaken me when he promised that goodness and mercy would follow me. He said what he meant and he meant what he said. Jesus, a songwriter said, has been so good to me. No other friend so kind could be. Safely keeps me every day free from sin and end up way never can. I such love repay Jesus has been good. Has he been good to love it? Yes. I pray. I pray that there is not a person here under the sound of my voice wherever we are. That you are not assured and again reassured that the Lord is with you. Every step is goodness and is mercy. They follow you, they're pursuing you, they're never going to leave you, nor forsaken you. You can be fully.